SYNOPSIS: Four men go on a canoeing trip on a remote river and find the unexpected in themselves and humanity

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER: People live in the wilderness because they do not conform to the norms of society. Pity the fool that stumbles across them. I hope Ned Beatty got paid more than the rest of this cast.

PROS AND CONS: It has been a while since I have seen this film. It was considered controversial when it came out and it is remembered more for it’s shock value than anything else.

On this second viewing, I realized what a good film this is. It is a male bonding film (there are no female cast members). None of the actors are shown in close-up for the first 10 minutes of the film. The character development in this film is fascinating, learning about each individual and how their strong beliefs are challenged by the situations they encounter kept me interested throughout the film.

This film probably has some of the best ‘death’ scenes in cinema. People don’t just pass out here and die. The deaths are gruesome and drawn out making them even more horrific. With the exception of his turn in “Boogie Nights”, I believe that this is Burt Reynolds’ best performance.